You’ve just secured your latest second hand clothing piece, at a bargain price and you’re quite chuffed with yourself when all of a sudden, a feeling of impending doom descends on you. You now need to correctly care for your second hand clothing item!
Learning how to care for your second hand clothes can be a daunting prospect but fear not, at Sunshine Thrift we have become experts in caring for second hand clothes and we want to share our knowledge with you.
In this blog we’ll cover…
- Why you should care for your second hand clothes
- How the caring begins before you have even bought the item
- Our top washing tips for second hand clothes
- How to repair damaged, stained or faulty second hand clothes
- Storing your second hand clothes
Why you should care for your second hand clothes
Second hand clothing needs a little bit more attention than clothes that are brand new from the retailer for that exact reason, they’re not brand new. It is highly likely that your second hand clothing item has been worn at least once or twice before you and may have been washed just as many times.
Regardless of the fabric used, just one unnecessarily warm wash or tumble dryer visit can, even in the smallest way, negatively impact the construction, colour or condition of an item. But this is no excuse to throw the item away, now it’s in your caring hands, it can be cared for correctly and worn over and over again.
Correctly caring for your second hand clothes also greatly contributes to their longevity in your wardrobe. At Sunshine Thrift, we’re always barking on about how just because a second hand clothing item is cheaper than buying it brand new, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth putting in the effort to look after it and instead just throwing it away. To put it plainly, that would be a backwards approach to second hand clothes shopping.
How the caring begins before you have bought your second hand clothing item
The sad reality is that there are a lot of second hand clothes out there that are in poor condition, with large stains, tears, or faults that are beyond the caring capabilities of most people and instead require the skills of a professional. It can be easy to forget that some second hand clothes have lived a full life with their previous owner.
But if you are a seasoned second hand clothing shopper, you will already have the knowhow to thoroughly inspect an item before purchasing it. It is important to acknowledge what you are or not willing to do to repair an item. In that moment of pure joy when you spot a second hand clothing item that you love in your size, but it has a hole or stain, you may say to yourself “oh I will fix that, it’s okay.”
But in reality, we’re busy people and soon you will accumulate a pile of clothing that needs to be repaired when you simply don’t have the time or patience. Instead, only purchase items that are either faultless or have minor faults you are willing and able to repair.
Trusting where you buy your second hand clothes
Just 10 years ago, second hand shopping was mostly done in store in charity shops, second hand stores and vintage shops. But with the rise of online marketplaces such as Vinted, eBay and Depop. More and more second hand clothes shopping is being done online.
As an online second hand retailer, we’re overjoyed to see the movement from instore to online. But this creates one problem for the buyer, they can’t check the item for faults before purchasing.
Where you are shopping for your second hand clothing can determine the level of risk of faults. We may be bias but often we find that online second hand shops such as Sunshine Thrift have a much stricter approach to the sale of faulty items.
At Sunshine Thrift, we don’t sell any items that you would need you to repair before wear and in the event that an item does have a minor fault such as pulls or minor bobbling, this is explained on the product page with accompanying images so the prospective buyer can make an informed decision on whether to purchase or not.
However, the same assurances aren’t always available when using online marketplaces such as Vinted or Depop. The buyer is reliant on the honestly of the seller and in my personal experience, faulty items are often sold as excellent condition and you only find out about the fault once it arrives with you.
Before making a second hand clothing purchase on an online marketplace we would highly recommend checking with the seller if there are any faults they haven’t yet disclosed on the listing.
Washing your second hand clothes
To wash or not to wash?
Washing your second hand clothes before you wear them is not an obligation and since entering the world of second hand clothes, I have found that everyone has a different approach. I personally don’t wash my second hand clothes before wearing them unless there is a reason to do so, e.g., there is a strong odour or a stain which needs to be removed.
However, I am aware that many people feel much more comfortable with wearing second hand clothes once they have been washed first.
Our recommendation would be to make the decision to wash on an item by item basis, therefore you are not needlessly putting your second hand clothes through a round of washing.
Care labels are king (queen)
Everything you need to know about how to care for an item of clothing, and in particular how to wash them, can be found on the care label sewn into the item. We’ve written a full guide on understanding care label symbols that we know will transform how you view washing your clothes.
In the event that the care label has been removed or the item is vintage and therefore never had a care label, hand wash the item. When in doubt it is always best to be careful with the item, even if that does take a little bit more time.
Top tips for washing
Sort your clothes by colour and by fabric if possible. We understand that doing multiple rounds of clothing washing is unappealing, so at a minimum sort your clothes by colour to maintain the colour fastness and prevent any colour runs.
Not only are the settings you use on your washing machine and how you organise your clothes washing important, so is the laundry detergent you use. Switching to an eco-friendly laundry detergent may seem like the more expensive choice at the time, but overtime making the switch can lower your bills by reducing your water consumption and of course preserving your clothes.
Conventional laundry detergents also include a barrage of harmful chemicals that ultimately end up on your skin. Eco-friendly detergents have most likely had their eco-credentials certified by a third party so you can be confident that they are as organic as they claim to be.
Drying your second hand clothes
Whenever possible, opt to air dry your second hand clothes once you have washed them. Although tumble dryers are incredibly convenient, by using them on your second hand clothes you run the risk of shrinkage as well as destabilising the construction of the item.
How to repair damaged, stained or faulty second hand clothes
The most common faults seen on second hand clothes tend to be stains, tears and missing components like buttons.
Small tears
If you are an avid second hand clothes shopper, we would recommend having a basic understanding of how to repair small holes and tears in clothes using a needle and thread. These repairs are often quick to do and they don’t need to be expertly done for the clothing item to look great again.
There are a multitude of online guides and tutorials that you can use to build up your knowledge of sewing. We would also recommend purchasing a small sewing kit, not too dissimilar to the ones seen in hotel rooms, such as this one from Flyer Tiger which contains all of the essentials.
Replacing buttons
Similar to repairing small tears or rips, replacing buttons can be just as straightforward with a little bit of sewing knowledge. Always, always keep the spare buttons that come with clothing as they will definitely become useful in the future.
Removing stains
Removing stains can be a little bit more complex than making minor repairs to a second hand clothing item. A good laundry detergent, especially an eco-friendly one, is likely to remove most stains found on any piece of clothing.
If you’re like me, your parents may have passed onto you some wild and random approaches to removing stains using the strangest of ingredients. But if it works, it works!
However, during my time as hopeful online second hand shop owner turned stain remover I have found that the most commonly named natural stain removers are vinegar, baking soda and even lemons.
Always refer to the care label first and if you require more fabric specific guidance then Google is your friend. Generally speaking, however, soaking the garment first then irritating the stain with any stain remover before a final gentle wash will often do the trick.
Debobbling
Debobbling is the process of removing bobbles or pills from clothing, most often found on knitwear and items that have been worn and washed multiple times. If you had to choose a fault on your second hand clothes, it would probably be this one as it is the easiest to fix!
You can purchase a handheld debobbler from around £8, making them a very affordable tool to add to your second hand clothing repair kit.
Dry clean instead
If you would much prefer to avoid the work and effort involved in repairing second hand clothes, we would recommend finding a local dry cleaner. Whilst this will come at a greater cost it may suit your lifestyle better as there is less work involved for you.
The cost of a dry cleaner completely depends on the item and what service you would like them to perform. We would strongly recommend taking the time to research a dry cleaner that offers a more environmentally friendly service. Traditionally, dry cleaners would use strong chemicals that can cause irritation that have been linked long lasting health issues.
Storing second hand clothes
Keeping your everyday second hand clothes hung up or folded neatly in drawers is the ideal way to care for them when they are not being worn or washed.
When it comes to rotating your wardrobe to suit the seasons, make sure to only store your second hand clothes away once they have been freshly washed. Using storage boxes or secure bags also protects your clothes from dust whilst they are in storage.
Final thoughts
Caring for your second hand clothes is an investment of time into your style and the environment. By making small changes to how you wash, repair and store your second hand clothes you are creating a long lasting wardrobe that you can depend on long into the future.
If you want to shop for second hand clothes without the risk of purchasing faulty items, check out our online second hand shop. Earning your trust is our top priority which is why we quality check each clothing item at least twice to ensure that it is suitable to be reworn multiple times by a new owner.
